SWAT 3: Tactical Game of the Year Edition

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Uncompromised duty, honor and valor. As an LAPD SWAT officer, you must have a deep and abiding reverence for human life and a firm resolve that all possible tactical alternatives be exhausted before employing deadly force. Your fundamental mission is to make Los Angeles a safe haven for all law-abiding citizens, while keeping the men under your command free from harm. The Tactical Game of the Ye…

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Reviews

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 205 reviews

story9 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

SWAT 3 is a nostalgic classic that offers unique missions and randomized AI patterns, providing replay value and tactical depth.
The game features impressive AI for both teammates and enemies, making for a challenging and immersive tactical experience.
With the right mods, such as Last Resort and dgVoodoo, the game can run smoothly on modern systems, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

The Steam version of SWAT 3 has significant compatibility issues with modern operating systems, often requiring extensive troubleshooting and third-party patches to function properly.
Many players report technical problems, including crashes, graphical glitches, and a frustrating lack of support for modern hardware.
The game lacks customizable controls and has outdated graphics, which can detract from the experience for new players unfamiliar with older titles.

story
32 mentions
28 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story of SWAT 3 is praised for its realism and depth, offering a nostalgic experience that combines tactical gameplay with unique, randomized missions. Players appreciate the game's challenging nature, requiring careful planning and strategy, while the AI's unpredictability adds to the immersion. Despite some technical issues, the engaging narrative and replayability make it a standout title in the tactical shooter genre.
- “Swat 3 is a fun and satisfying tactical FPS. The AI is fantastic for its time, being both intelligent and challenging. The missions are great, and the more you progress, the more complex they become, ranging from simple house raids to terrorists on an airport tower with demands, which you can all examine in the briefing pre-entry.”
- “The randomised nature of the hostage and enemy placement in missions, as well as their emotional states and predisposition to listen to your commands, leads to every replay presenting a new challenge. With the ability to equip your team with a variety of lethal and non-lethal guns and tools before the mission, you will find yourself taking many different approaches.”
- “Swat 3 has what modern shooters lack: depth, story, and real tactical planning.”
- “You can't see anything if you're doing a mission that takes place at night and the AI does literally everything for you.”
- “You don't even need to clear the entire location if some additional civilians were left, because mission briefing is always based on some sort of government reconnaissance without extra civilians - you know, the ones who could have ended up in this place by accident.”
- “Swat 3 has what watered-down modern shooters lack: depth, story, and real tactical planning.”
graphics
30 mentions
30 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and buggy, with many users experiencing crashes and performance issues on modern systems. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and detail for its time, the overall consensus is that the visuals do not hold up well against contemporary standards, making it a challenging experience for new players. Despite these shortcomings, the gameplay remains enjoyable, and there are mods available that can enhance the graphics and improve compatibility.
- “The graphics are actually quite good, especially for a game released originally in 1999.”
- “Fun game, and great graphics for its time.”
- “I actually favor the graphics in SWAT 3 over the new modern wax figure look.”
- “It will not run right and it continuously crashes and has graphical bugs (at least for me) as others said, buy it on GOG.”
- “The graphics are definitely worse than the pictures in the store; I would not be complaining if this game was around $5 because of its age, but $10 is a bit much.”
- “Today with outdated graphics will be a no-go for players.”
gameplay
18 mentions
22 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its tactical depth and the necessity for careful planning, with players needing to utilize various tools and strategies to succeed in challenging missions. While the mechanics may feel outdated compared to newer titles, the game offers a unique and engaging experience that keeps missions interesting and requires thoughtful decision-making. However, some players note that the execution lacks the fluidity and intuitiveness found in its predecessor, SWAT 4.
- “Fantastic gameplay that centers around the use of your number keys to direct orders to your SWAT teams to achieve their objectives. This is one of the very few games that genuinely gives me jump scares when an enemy appears from around a corner and seemingly one-shots you down. Every decision you make is vital and will require very careful planning and thorough use of all your utility (flashbangs, CS gas, mirrors, lock-picks, non-lethal bullets, etc.). It will also require a restart here or there as each mission is very difficult in its own unique ways.”
- “The AI, the complex level design, the amount of tactical options, the variety, the fair challenge, the methodical gameplay - you name it.”
- “Honestly, this is a dope game (if you can make that unbearable effort of playing with early 2000's kind of graphics). I totally recommend you buy it even if you never played it back in the days; it's easy to understand and the gameplay is fluid.”
- “This game hasn't aged well in its mechanical execution.”
- “It provides tactical depth (which is a good base to continue working from); however, it is not presented in a way that offers intuitive, clean, and fluid gameplay experiences and mechanics compared to the sequel SWAT 4.”
- “This doesn't make for dynamic and fluid gameplay.”
optimization
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably lacking, requiring users to rely on mods like Last Resort and dgVoodoo to enhance performance and resolution on modern systems. Many players express frustration that such older titles should be better optimized for current hardware before being sold on platforms like Steam. Despite these challenges, some users have successfully improved their experience through these modifications, allowing them to enjoy the game as they did in the past.
- “Edit: Having used mods to improve the performance, I am happy to be able to enjoy this game as much as I used to years ago.”
- “One point worthy of note is that there are issues with the game working on Windows 8/10 due to the way the game is rendered - you can circumvent this to an extent by using dgvoodoo2 which gives you a large increase in performance (enough for me to enjoy playing the game).”
- “If you have performance problems, there are ways to fix it (dgvoodoo/change resolution in swat.cfg).”
- “You sadly have to use Last Resort (for higher resolutions) and dgVoodoo (to improve performance) to make it run properly.”
- “Games like this shouldn't be sold on Steam unless they've been somewhat optimized for newer PCs.”
- “For better resolution and overall less stuttering on the latest GPU/Windows, run the game through the Last Resort mod.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being outdated, glitchy, and buggy, leading to significant lag and poor graphics. While some players find it enjoyable despite these issues, many recommend waiting for a more stable release, such as SWAT 4.
- “If you're looking for a SWAT game, just wait for SWAT 4 to be released. This one seems too outdated and unplayable with current technology; I'm sure it's possible, but a lot of troubleshooting is required.”
- “Though it's glitchy, buggy, the graphics are horrid, and it lags like no tomorrow, it's still worth your while.”
- “Good game, but it's very buggy.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its unique and memorable maps, along with extensive customization and equipment options that surpass those of SWAT 4. Additionally, the audio, featuring functional and atmospheric radio chatter, contributes positively without being overly intrusive.
- “Has more customization and equipment than SWAT 4, has a unique atmosphere and great memorable maps.”
- “Audio is also a plus: radio chatter is functional, atmospheric, and mostly not too invasive.”
replayability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Players highlight the strong replayability of the game, citing over 20 unique missions that offer varied approaches, such as saving people or engaging in chaotic gameplay. This diversity in mission structure ensures that players can enjoy multiple playthroughs with different strategies.
- “The unique missions all have replay value.”
- “You have to bring order to chaos and save people, or you can just start shooting everyone and fail the mission. There are a lot of missions, like 20+, so a lot of replayability is guaranteed.”
music
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a standout feature, featuring epic tracks that enhance the experience, which is surprising for a squad-based shooter. Players appreciate the quality of the soundtrack, noting it as a strong point for the game.
- “The audio is a standout too; it even has epic music, which you wouldn't expect in a squad-based shooter.”
- “Good soundtrack for the time.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a quick cash grab, undermining the values of duty, honor, and valor that the game aims to represent.
- “The game feels more like a quick cash grab than a genuine experience.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive and detracts from the gameplay.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious due to the limited number of missions, which totals around 20, and the non-functional multiplayer feature, further diminishing the variety and engagement in gameplay.
- “Grinding can be a bit tedious as there are only about 20 missions, and the multiplayer doesn't work.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
- “I found the grinding to be excessively time-consuming, with little reward for the effort put in.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, noting that the randomized elements of hostage and enemy placements, along with their varying emotional states, create unique challenges in each replay. This variability encourages players to explore different strategies and approaches, enhancing the overall emotional engagement with the gameplay.
- “The emotional weight of each decision in the game creates a profound connection to the characters and their fates.”
- “Every replay presents a new challenge, and the emotional state of the hostages and enemies adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
- “The ability to equip your team with various tools and weapons allows for diverse strategies, making each mission feel unique and emotionally impactful.”